Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Taiwan
Taiwan: Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median was 3.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Taiwan, 1981–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Taiwan recorded 3.6% for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Taiwan peaked at 5.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1986.
Taiwan ranks 92nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Taiwan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 2.5% | — |
| 1986 | 2.2% | -12.0% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | +18.2% |
| 1995 | 4.4% | +69.2% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | -22.7% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | +9.1% |
| 2007 | 3.8% | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | +42.1% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -18.5% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -15.9% |
| 2017 | 4.2% | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.5% | 2.6% | 4.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.7% | 5.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Taiwan
More poverty & inequality data for Taiwan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.87 live births per woman (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 17.4% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1054 (2023)
- Three metrics of inequality 60.86 (2017)
- Gini coefficient (before tax) 0.6086 (2017)
- Total shortfall from extreme poverty 3.36 million international-$ in 2021 prices (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Taiwan?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Taiwan was 3.6% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in Taiwan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in Taiwan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1986.
- How does Taiwan rank for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median?
- Taiwan ranks 92nd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median rising or falling in Taiwan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Taiwan data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 40% of the median.